New Year’s Course with Lama Ole Nydahl

Come and join us for our first ever London New Year’s Course. Lectures will be given by Lama Ole Nydahl as well as other Diamond Way teachers, and we will enter the New Year together with the Boddhisattva Promise. Accommodation and food will be provided at the course venue, which has a capacity of up to 5,000 people and is a one hour drive from Central London.

Programme

Wednesday, 27th Dec

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19:00

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Lecture by Lama Ole Nydahl

Thursday, 28th Dec

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10.00

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Meditation

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15:00

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Lecture by Lama Ole Nydahl

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20:00

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Meditation or Diamond Way Teacher panel

Friday, 29th Dec

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10:00

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Meditation

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15:00

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Lecture by Lama Ole Nydahl

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20:00

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Diamond Way Teacher panel

Saturday, 30th Dec

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10:00

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Meditation

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15:00

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Lecture by Lama Ole Nydahl

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20:00

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Diamond Way Teacher panel

Sunday, 31st Dec

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10:00

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Meditation

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15:00

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Session with Lama Ole Nydahl

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—

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New Year's Celebration with Lama Ole*

Programme is subject to change!

*Tickets available at the course.

Pricing

We have worked hard to keep the prices for this course as low as possible, to ensure that
they are friendly for everyone. We think we’ve done a good job, considering that we have
had to hire a venue for the course and either rent or bring equipment over from other
countries, as sadly the Beaufoy simply isn’t big enough for this type of event!

As a result, there are no discounts, except the Early Bird price (payable before 01 Dec.), so
please use it, as it will benefit both you and us!!

Please note at all prices are in GBP (British Pounds), as we only accept money with the
Queen’s face on it, here in the UK! There’s the option to pay by credit card to make life easy,
however, it means there has to be a charge for the payments, sorry, but there was no way
for us to avoid it.

Accommodation prices

How to get there

From Central London you can get to the venue by taking the train from London Victoria Station to Maidstone East. The journey takes approximately one hour.

How to get there

London has five airports and the closest to the venue is Gatwick Airport. From there you can take an Uber to The Kent Event Centre which should be a 45-minute drive and cost between £50-100 depending on the time and day of your travel.

Please note that there are absolutely no trains running on 25th December, on 26th December there are some changes due to engineering works (a common obstacle to UK travel during the holiday season!).

Arriving: If you’re travelling by coach, train or Tube from any airport, you should travel through London Blackfriars (direct) or London Victoria (one change) station to Maidstone East Station. The train journey takes about 1 - 1.5 hours, depending which route you take.

Departing: Maidstone East station is closed on 01st January. We will provide the shuttle to Maidstone West, from where the trains go into London St Pancras Station. There you can easily access different transport options (Tube, train, buses) to the airport you need.

Useful links for planning your journey

When you use the National Express coach service, you can save money by travelling in a group: travel anywhere in the UK (including airports) in a group of four or more and save 25% on standard fares. To take advantage of this offer, simply book your seats at least three days in advance.

For using the public transport in London, you must have an Oyster card or a contactless credit or debit card. For more information, please visit the website of Transport for London.

If you're arriving before the course, please note that due to the Christmas bank holiday, public transport is not running on the 25th of December.

London Victoria

Maidstone East

Trains usually depart every half hour from around 6 am until midnight, but please check the exact timetable before your journey. The 25th, 26th December and the 1st January are bank holidays (public holidays) in the UK and there will be limited service on these days.

When you arrive at the train station in Maidstone, you can take a taxi or our shuttle to the venue.

Taxis:

Streamline +44 1622 750000

Sapphire Cabs +44 1622 663000

Angels Express +44 1622 201020

If you’re taking the Eurostar, you’ll arrive either at London St Pancras International station or at Ashford International.

King’s Cross St Pancras

From King’s Cross St Pancras tube station, take the Victoria line to Victoria station and then the train to Maidstone East. You must buy a separate ticket for the train journey to Maidstone East as your Oyster card is only valid for public transport in London.

Ashford International

From Ashford International, you can take the direct train to Maidstone East. The journey should take approximately 30 minutes.

Visit the National Rail website to book your connecting train from Ashford or Victoria.

If you’re taking a bus to London (Eurolines or FlixBus), you will arrive at Victoria coach station. From here, London Victoria train station is a five-minute walk. Visit the National Rail to book your connecting trains to Maidstone.

Ferry

If you’re taking a ferry, the nearest port to Maidstone is Dover, which is a 45-minute drive (38 miles/61 km) away.

Channel Tunnel

Driving guides

The venue is located near the A249. From the M20 Motorway, exit the motorway at junction (7) and follow signs to Sittingbourne and Sheerness A249. From the M2 Motorway, exit the motorway at junction (5) signposted Maidstone A249.

The Kent Event Centre is clearly marked and is approximately 2 miles away from the junction. From the M2 Motorway, exit the motorway at the junction (5) signposted Maidstone A249. The Kent Event Centre is approximately 5 miles from the junction.

Parking

There is plenty of parking space at the venue for both cars and buses. The venue is gated and security will be provided at the entrance and exit gates.

Caravans

If you’re arriving with a caravan, please let us know in advance. Most caravans will be able to park on the tarmac but we will need to consider the state of the grounds (weather dependant) and advise you accordingly. It will be possible for you to access electricity for your caravan, but there will be an extra charge.

Shuttle Information

We will be providing a shuttle/minibus service between Maidstone East train station and the venue during the course.

27th December

From 8 am until 1 am (the arrival of the last train). The shuttle service will run every half hour.

28th - 30th December

9:00 - 17:30. Leaving the venue every hour on the hour, leaving the station half past every hour. The last shuttle leaves the station at 17:30

31st December

Drop off service at the station from 6 am - untill needed.

1st January

Drop off service at the station from 6 am - utill needed. Maidstone East station is closed on the 1st of January. We will provide the shuttle to Maidstone West, from where the trains go into London St Pancras Station (1 change). There you can easily access different transport options (Tube, train, buses) to the airport you need.

Important

On the 1st of January, the first train leaves at 7:03 am, then every hour. If you booked a shuttle, please come to the Info Point before the 30th of December to let us know which train you have to catch on this day.

Please note, shuttle service, in general, will be provided to those who booked it at registration. If there's space on the coach, you can buy tickets at the Info Point (£4, one way).

Accommodation

Accommodation is available at the course site only from 27th December to the morning of 01st January.

The on-site sleeping hall will be able to host up to 1500 people. Additionally, the main lecture hall will provide sleeping space for up to 2500 people.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer accommodation in the Beaufoy before, during and after the course, as we are already fully booked. Please see our website for nearby places to stay.

If you would like to stay in a hotel, bed & breakfast or Airbnb in Maidstone, please check the following websites:

If you are planning to bring a caravan, please note there are limited spaces and specific requirements. Please contact us directly.

General Information

At the course, we will provide you with breakfast, lunch and dinner payable through registration. If you opt out of prepaid food, you can buy snacks from the cafeteria and mini market, and may have the chance to buy a meal, one hour after normal food service starts, depending on availability.

Please note, if you follow a special diet, you can find several supermarkets in Maidstone. We are unable to provide food storage.

Showers - there are several shower blocks on site, but we’d like you to know you have to leave the sleeping hall to get to them.

Disclaimer: The Kent Event Centre shall not be liable to the Hirer for any loss of or damage to any goods, articles or property of any kind brought into or left in the Function Room(s) or Kent Showground either by the Hirer or any of his/her/its guests, visitors or agents or by any other person except where such loss or damage is caused by the negligence or wilful misconduct of Kent Event Centre.

We will provide childcare, run by accredited childcare professionals, for children age 3-12, during the morning and afternoon sessions, 27-30 December. This service will be on a first come, first served basis.

Sleeping bag and sleeping mat

Meditation cushion

Warm clothes

Cash in GBP (British pounds)

3-pin UK Adaptor

Please check the following website whether you require a visa for travelling to the UK:

The centre will be open for personal practice and our regular programme (16th Karmapa meditation at 20:00) every day in December and January, except for the course days (26 Dec - 01 Jan) when we'll all be in Kent, and from 16:00 on 24th December.

There will be the possibility to visit the Beaufoy during the course on 29th, 30th & 31st December. For more information, please visit the info point at the course venue.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer accommodation in the Beaufoy before, during and after the course, as we are already fully booked. Please see our website for nearby places to stay. If you are a team member, we will attempt to host some of you with local sangha, please use the contact form if you would like to try this option.